Image caption The graves were prepared at Waterloo, 30km from Freetown A mass burial for about 300 people killed by a mudslide and flooding has taken place on the outskirts of the capital Freetown. President Ernest Bai Koroma attended a multi-faith memorial service at the burial site in the city of Waterloo. Some 600 people […]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Grace Mugabe is the second wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe South African police have issued a “red alert” at the country’s borders for Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe, the police minister has said. She is accused of hitting a 20-year-old woman over the head with an extension cord in […]

Media captionPeople are angry, reports the BBC’s Martin Patience from outside Freetown’s mortuary Mass burials are being held on the outskirts of the Sierra Leone capital Freetown for the 400 people known to have died in a mudslide and flooding. President Ernest Bai Koroma is expected to join Christian and Muslim religious leaders for a […]

Image copyright EPA Image caption Mahdi expressed remorse during his trial An Islamist militant who is serving a prison sentence for destroying ancient mausoleums in Timbuktu has been found liable for nearly 3m euros in damages. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi was jailed for nine years last September by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He admitted leading […]

Image copyright AFP Image caption The UN says that 85% of the refugees who have arrived in Uganda are women and children The number of refugees fleeing violence in South Sudan to Uganda has passed the one million mark, the UN says. The organisation is appealing to the international community for “urgent additional support”. It […]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Relatives have been waiting to identify bodies Nearly half of the 400 people known to have died in a mudslide and flooding on the outskirts of the Sierra Leone capital Freetown have already been buried, health officials say. The government had said mass burials would be postponed until Thursday to […]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Grace Mugabe is the second wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe’s government has sought diplomatic immunity for President Robert Mugabe’s wife in the assault case against her in South Africa, South Africa’s police ministry has said. Grace Mugabe was still in South Africa, it added, contradicting earlier reports that […]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The hillside collapsed on to dozens of houses in Regent after heavy rain At least 600 people are still missing following a mudslide and flooding that devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, a spokesman for the president has told the BBC. President Ernest Bai Koroma has declared seven days […]

Image copyright AFP Image caption The Nigerian army has failed to stop violence by militants in Maiduguri Three female suicide bombers have carried out an attack that has killed at least 27 people in north-eastern Nigeria, officials say. Dozens were injured when the women blew themselves up outside a refugee camp near Maiduguri in Borno […]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Grace Mugabe is the second wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe has returned home from South Africa after failing to turn herself in to police in Johannesburg to face accusations of assault, officials say. It was not immediately clear why Mrs Mugabe did not report […]